Coccolithophore
by Cap10
Summary: Ronon breaks his foot leaving the SGA1 grounded. Sheppard decides it would be a great time to get some more training in on the mainland. Now imagine Sheppard trying to teach Mckay to rock climb, yes things will get interesting.


**Author's note**-_The people have spoken and this is what you wanted. You wanted a story on the mainland where Sheppard gets whumped, and Mckay talks himself into a hole. On the OC side you wanted to get to know Tim Hendricks better and give Bec a break. I can do that. This story is dedicated to those who review. Oh, and I don't own Atlantis or the characters on the TV show._

Weir looked are her email and among the line of reports and equipment requests she saw something weird. The subject line read-Coccolithophores, but when she saw who it was from it made sense. She opened it.

_Dear Dr. Weir,_

_I know this request my sound strange but the Biology, Botany, and HOG teams would like to work on a joint project looking at the deposited rates of the Calcareous Ooze in the deep ocean. We need to collect samples of ocean water with Coccolithophores, unfortunately the ocean currents surrounding Atlantis cause it to be the breading ground of Radiotarian which cause the wrong type of ooze. To collect the needed samples for the experiment we need to travel to the mainland. We are requesting permission for a few members of the HOG Team to travel to the mainland stay a few days and collect a few samples and then come home. _

_If you have any questions please get in contact with me,_

_Dr. Rebecca Thomason, HOG Team_

Weir was about contact Dr. Thomason over the radio when Sheppard knocked on the door of her office.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Colonel?"

"You know how my team is currently off duty, because Ronan broke his foot. Well I would like to use this time to get some training. Mckay is still not use to a lot of outdoor activities and I would like to get Teyla more comfortable some of the earth equipment we don't regularly use on missions."

"Were do you propose to perform this training?" Elizabeth looked up at him from her computer.

"I was thinking we could go to the mainland. It is safe and Ronan could come along for a vacation of sorts."

"I will give you the okay but only one condition."

"What is that?"

"We have a group of scientists who need to get to the mainland for a few days to collect samples."

"Which department?"

"It is the HOG Team."

"No problem. Maybe we can train with them."

"You will have to work it out with them. Get in contact with Dr. Thomason and inform them when you are planning on leaving."

"Yes ma'am." Sheppard smiled as he went to gather his team, leaving Elizabeth to go back to work.

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Sheppard immediately went to the HOG Team lab. There was always someone in there, after all there were models run, the water system of Atlantis monitor, and planets to determine safe or not. Like any team they were behind on work, it didn't help that they were working in several fields and were still the second smallest team, even though they had over doubled in size after contact with earth. They were always busy. Tim was directing the chaos at the moment.

"Hey, Tim." Sheppard shouted into the room. Tim looked up from where he was helping a computer tech finish running over the seismic reading from some planet that Lorne's team was planning to go to next week.

"What brings you to our dark corner of the city, Sheppard?" Tim came to the door.

"It has something to do with the reason you want to go the mainland."

"We got the okay for the joint project?"

"I guess so? Weir just ordered my team to take you to the mainland. We are going there to train up on things like _rock climbing_."

"You are not going to try to teach Rodney how to rock climb are you?"

"Yep."

Tim leaned on the doorway. "You're going to need help."

"I know that. That is why I was wondering of you and the geologist would mind coming along. We could help you collect your samples you could come rock climbing and other things with us."

"When are you planning on doing this?"

"Tomorrow morning first thing."

"We can do that. I will get in contact with Bec and we will meet you in the jumper bay first thing, say seven hundred hours."

"We will be ready."

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"Let me get this straight, you're relieving me of duty?" Dr. Rebecca Thomason, better know as Bec ran her hand through her hair.

"Don't think of it as being relieved from duty. Think of it as a vacation." Dr. Kate Hieghtmeyer said simply.

"Do have to?"

"Yes, if you don't I can go to Weir and have you removed from command until I see you fit to return."

"I get the point." Bec sighed. "How many days?"

"Just three or four, you know that I am doing this for all staff who haven't taken days of for extended periods and no don't count being sent to the Alpha Site, going on missions, or landing yourself in the infirmary as days off." Bec rolled her eyes at it. "My point in two years you have only taken four days off."

"Well I am doing better than Mckay then."

"Dr. Mckay has been to earth. The trip back, for the most part was a vacation for him. You have not earth yet. And you probably noticed that I have already force Mckay to take a break."

"Yes how could I have forgotten? After that left Zelenka, Eaton and I in charge of the science department and of course someone had to blow up a lab."

"I am sure that your team can survive without you for a few days, after all they seem to do fine when you are in the infirmary."

"Man, that just makes you feel needed. Can I at least choose where I take my vacation?"

"Within reason, yes."

"I would like to go the mainland."

"You cannot spend you time working on the joint biology, botany and…"

"I want to go camping."

"I can see no problem with that as long as you okay it with Weir and as long as you don't do work. Do I need me to bane you from using your computer during the break?"

"I would prefer not. My entire music collection is on my personal computer."

"Fine, now that we have gotten that settled. Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"

"Not really."

"Okay, after your vacation I would like you to make regular visits."

"Fine, may I leave now?" Bec asked annoyed.

"Yes."

At that Bec hurriedly got up and left the room.

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"Knock, knock, Mckay." Sheppard said looking into Mckay private lab.

"What do you want?" Mckay looked up from his computer annoyed.

"Mission tomorrow, be in the jumper bay at 0700." Sheppard turned to leave.

"What. I thought our team was grounded for at least another two weeks. I mean last time I checked Ronan broke a bone in his foot and he was a member of our team."

"Ronan cracked to bones in his foot and you are staring to get out of practice. Don't worry we are just going to the mainland. If there is an emergency you can be back in an two or so hours."

"But I have work to do." Mckay defended.

"Delegate. I am sure you can get your scientist to get what really needs to be done, done. Weir already okay the trip so I expect to see you in the jumper bay bright and early tomorrow morning."

Mckay knew that when Sheppard was insisting like this there really was no point fighting with him. It was not worth it, maybe he could find some way to sneak away but since weir had already okay the mission the chances of that were low. Great I get to waste another few days doing nothing that benefits humanity, after all I am already behind.

"Fine." Mckay glared. Sheppard just smiled and walked quickly down the hall inform the rest of the team that they were going on a trip the next day.

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**Author's note**-_I hope you find the beginning interesting so far. If you don't like it tell me I will work on improving, but here is for the reason you read the author's note-the fact. Coccolithophores really do exist on earth. They are small plankton which live in the middle of earth oceans. They create small calcium shells and when they die there shells drift to the bottom of the ocean, creating Calcareous Ooze. That ooze is then compressed over million of years to become chalk. The Radiotarian are very similar but there shells are made from silicon instead of calcium and the rock they form is chert. Now imagine Bec attempting to explain that to Sheppard and you will have a clue about what will be happening in the next chapter. _


End file.
